Shimano SLX or Lews Speed Spool LFS

[LootyDjibouti]

You can't go wrong here. I'd feel both in hand before making a decision. Very common reels so hopefully you can do so.

That said, they're both known to be quite comfortable but that is again, subjective. 

Some of the Daiwas for instance are pretty bulky and thus I can't stand them. 

[Otter17]

I was in Bass Pro today and got to handle them both and check em out. Difficult decision. I’m normally a Shimano guy when it comes to bass reels. So there’s a leaning there, but the Lews did seem a tad smoother. 
 

I guess I can’t really go wrong. I can buy one now and then later down the road after I’ve fished with it for a year, I can see about getting the other. 
 

I can’t say how many years ago but it was a lot, was the last time I owned a baitcasting reel for bass. I owned two Curado 300e’s when they first came out. The green ones. It seems like baitcasting reels have got smaller over the years. Those Curados seemed larger than these new ones. 

[Otter17]

This is a bit off topic. But this Curado talk got me thinking. I own and have owned a lot of nice reels over the years from freshwater to saltwater. A lot of different Shimano spinning reels,   Penn Reels for saltwater, and Abu Garcia’s for catfishing. But still to this day those Curado 300E’s were my favorite all time. They were totally bulletproof for me, and I could use them for Bass, Musky, Catfish, and at one time some Saltwater fishing. Obviously I couldn’t use them for finesse bass fishing, but it got the job done with other techniques. I loved that thing. But one day I was catfishing, stepped away to check my bait bucket, and when I looked back, POOF! It was gone. Fishy took it bye bye. I had a $150 St. Croix rod and I believe the Curado was  like $350 at the time. Pulled into the depths. ?

 

Hard lesson indeed. 

[Tatulatard]

I wasn't aware of the smoothness issues with the SLX.  I was watching a video of a guy fishing jerkbakts with an SLX DC and a gopo on this neck or something that put the reel near the microphone.  Good lord that thing sounded awful when reeling.  I had to stop watching.  It exceeded my cringe tolerance.